IntroducingSmartDeploy

Enterprise
ProwessConsulting,LLC
Published:March,2010

Abstract
Largeorganizationsacrossallsectorsandindustriesparticularlythoseorganizationswith500ormore
computersinvestalotoftimeandmoneyinthedeploymentofcomputeroperatingenvironmentsto
keeptheworkforceproductiveandthebusinessresponsive.ITteamsfrequentlyfindthattheyareforced
tocontinuallymodifydeploymentprocessestokeepupwithrapidchangesinbothhardwareandsoftware
technologyandtorespondtobusinesspressuretoreducecostsandimproveefficiency.Butevenwitha
properlydesignedandwellorchestratedprocess,thesystematicdeploymentofcomputeroperating
systemscanbeafrustrating,timeconsuming,technicallydifficult,andexpensiveundertaking.
ThereleaseoftheWindows7operatingsystemandtheaccompanyingsunsettingoftheWindowsXP
operatingsystemrequiremostorganizationstoreevaluateifnotreinventtheirWindowsdeployment
strategy,includingtheirtools,knowledge,andapproach.WhileWindows7posesavarietyofnew
deploymentchallenges,italsocreatesanopportunitytostreamlineandoptimizedeploymentprocess,
regardlessofthemigrationtimeframe.
ProwessSmartDeployEnterpriseprovidesacomprehensive,easytousedeploymenttoolsetthatcanhelp
youovercomethechallengesassociatedwithoperatingsystemmigration.SmartDeployEnterprisemakes
itpossibletoefficientlydeployoperatingsystemsreducingoreveneliminatingredundancy,wastedtime,
unnecessaryeffort,andsuperfluousinfrastructure.Usedalone,integratedintoyourexistingmanagement
environment,oralongsideWindowsServer2008basedmanagementtoolslikeWindowsDeployment
Services(WDS),SmartDeployEnterprisecanhelpyoureducetherisksassociatedwithWindows7
migrationandcanhelpstreamlineallofyourWindowsdeploymentprojects.Andwithapertechnician
licensingmodel,yougetenterprisecapabilitieswithouttheenterprisescalepricetag.
ThiswhitepaperprovidesanintroductiontoSmartDeployEnterprise.Formoreinformationonusing
SmartDeployEnterprise,seetheSmartDeployEnterpriseUsersGuide.

CONTENTS
OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................................3
CHALLENGESWITHWINDOWS7MIGRATION........................................................................................4
APPLICATIONCOMPATIBILITY............................................................................................................................4
DRIVERS........................................................................................................................................................4
RISANDWDS...............................................................................................................................................5
INTRODUCINGSMARTDEPLOY...............................................................................................................7
HOWDOESSMARTDEPLOYWORK?.......................................................................................................9
APPLICABLESCENARIOS..................................................................................................................................10
SUMMARY..........................................................................................................................................11
MOREINFORMATION..........................................................................................................................12

OVERVIEW

Migratingtoanewoperatingsystemisinevitableformanyorganizations.WhileWindows7
bringsmanynewfeaturesandbenefits,upgradingoperatingsystemsinalargenetworkisno
easytask.Successfuloperatingsystemmigrationrequiresextensiveplanningandcomplex
scheduling,anditoftenforcesyoutomakecostlybusinesscompromises.Thechallengesin
upgradinginclude:
ApplicationCompatibility:Youmustcontinuesupportforexistingsoftwareapplications
thatdonotrunonthenewoperatingsystem.Forexample,acustombillingapplication
writtenfortheWindowsVistaoperatingsystemmaynotworkproperlyonWindows7.
UserProductivity:Toremainfullyproductive,usersneedtoretaintheirlocaldataand
settings.ThiscanrequireextraordinaryeffortfromITstafftoinventoryeachsystemand
walkusersthroughupgradingtheirsystemsoneatatime.
HardwareCompatibility:Todeploytoheterogeneoushardwareplatforms,mostcurrent
imagingtechnologiesrequireyoutomaintainseparateimagesforeachcombinationof
computermodelandoperatingsystem.
ImagingRequirements:Systemimagesarelarge.Transmittingimagestogeographically
dispersedlocationsisresourceintensiveandtimeconsuming.Theprocessmustbe
repeatedaspatchesandupgradesarereleased.
ImagingComplexity:Becauseimagingtechnologiesaresosophisticated,theITstaffis
requiredtohavespecializedknowledgeandskillsrequiredtooperateandmaintainthe
compleximaginganddeploymenttoolscurrentlyonthemarket.
Operatingsystemdeploymentusuallyinvolvesadiskimagingtechnologythatletsyoumakea
copyofamasterharddiskdriveandtransferthiscopytoyourcomputers.Thisworkswellas
longasthetargethardwareisthesameasthemastercomputer.However,inreality,a
companyscomputersareoftenamixofdifferentmakesandmodels.ThismeansthattheIT
staffmustcreateaseparatemasterimageforeachhardwareplatformonthenetwork,atime
consumingandlaborintensiveendeavor.
SmartDeployEnterprisefromProwessprovidesarealworldsolutionforthischallengeby
eliminatingtheneedtocreatemultiplemasterimagesforyourdifferentcomputers.
SmartDeployhelpsmakedeploymentofallversionsoftheWindowsoperatingsystem
includingWindows7fasterandeasier.

CHALLENGESWITHWINDOWS7MIGRATION
Windows7posesavarietyofchallengestoorganizations,particularlytothoseorganizationsstill
usingtheWindowsXPoperatingsystem.Thesechallengescanhavecostlyimplicationsfor
deployment.

ApplicationCompatibility
WhilemostWindowsVistacompatibleapplicationsrunonWindows7,mostapplications
writtenforWindowsXPdonot.WhilemanysoftwarevendorshavecreatedWindowsVista
compatibleversionsoftheirapplications,youmaynothavethebudgetorthetimetoupgrade
theapplicationsyouuse.Alternately,youmaybesupportinganapplicationasalegacy
application,requiredonlyoccasionally.
Lineofbusiness(LOB)applicationscreatedandmaintainedinhouseareupdatedondifferent
schedulesdrivenbybusinessstrategy,incontrasttocommercialsoftwarethatisupdatedona
schedulebasedonbroadmarketdemand.Avarietyofstrategiesrangingfromapplication
virtualizationtoXPModestyledualoperatingsystemcapabilitiesinWindows7provide
optionstosupportWindowsXPbasedapplications.
Additionally,WebapplicationswrittenforolderversionsofWindowsInternetExplorerWeb
browser(WindowsInternetExplorer6,forexample)areoftenoverlooked,butcanbeequally
problematic.Windows7includesWindowsInternetExplorer8,andmanyorganizationsare
discoveringdeploymentchallengeswhentheyattempttodowngradetheversionofInternet
ExplorerontheirsystemortovirtualizeInternetExplorer.

SmartMigrate
SmartDeployprovidesanalternativecalledSmartMigrate,whichtakesadvantageofthelicense
userightsforthevirtualizationofWindowsXPonWindows7throughXPMode.SmartMigrate
convertsanexistingoperatingsystem(WindowsXP,forexample)intoavirtualmachinethatcan
runinWindowsVirtualPC(VPC)onWindows7.
SmartMigratenotonlyhelpsyouovercomeapplicationcompatibilityproblems,butitalsoeases
usermigrationpainandpotentiallyacceleratesmigration.UsingSmartMigrate,youcanletusers
continuetousetheiroldoperatingsystemenvironmentinavirtualmachinecompletewith
thefiles,structure,andthepersonalityoftheircomputerwhileusertrainingandapplication
migrationtasksarecompletedbytheITstaff.

Drivers
Althoughdevicedriveravailabilityisnolongertheproblemitwasaroundthetimethat
WindowsVistawasreleased,dealingwithdevicedriversandtheotherhardwarerelatedfiles
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neededfortheoptimalfunctionofasystemisoneofthemosttimeconsumingandfrustrating
tasksforITworkers.Windows7includesawidevarietyofoutoftheboxdevicedrivers,but
therearestillchallengeswithmakingbootcriticaldevicesavailablefordeployment,particularly
withaheterogeneoushardwareinventory.

PlatformPackTemplates
SmartDeploysignificantlyreducesdevicedriverfrustrationandsaveshoursoflocating,
organizing,andtestingpackagesofrequireddevicedrivers.Prowesshasmadedozensof
platformpacktemplatesavailablefordownloadfromSmartDeploy.comformostmajororiginal
equipmentmanufacturer(OEM)devices,lettingyousimplydownloadthecompleteandcorrect
template.
FordevicesnotincludedintheSmartDeploy.comdownloadcenter,Prowessprovidesplatform
packcreationassistancethroughproductsupportprograms.Thesesinglepackages,whichare
oftenfieldtestedinproductionenvironments,arealsodeduplicatedtofurtherincrease
efficiencyduringdeployment.

RISandWDS
Formanyorganizations,RemoteInstallationServices(RIS)wasawellunderstood,convenient,
andcosteffectivemethodofdeployment.RIShasbeenreplacedwithWindowsDeployment
Services(WDS)inWindowsServer2008,andWDSisnotaswellunderstoodandisconsidered
bymanytobemoredifficulttouse.LikeRIS,WDSisincludedasacomponentoftheWindows
Serveroperatingsystematnoadditionalcharge,soitisaconvenientandcosteffectiveserver
baseddeploymentsolution.WhiletheWDSserverserviceissimpletoinstall,therolloutand
configurationandtheimagingmethodologycanbeconsiderablymorecomplex.

WIMImages
RISimagesarereplacedinWDSwithWindowsImagingFormat(WIM)images.WIMimagescan
becreatedthroughafreesetoftoolsofferedbyMicrosoftcalledtheWindowsAutomated
InstallationKit(WindowsAIK).WindowsAIKcanbeusedtoautomateWindowsinstallationsby
capturingWindowsimageswithImageX,configuringandmodifyingimagesusingDeployment
ImagingServicingandManagement(DISM),creatingWindowsPEimages,andmigratinguser
profilesanddatawiththeUserStateMigrationTool(USMT).
SmartDeployisthefirstindependent,commercialdeploymentsolutionthatusesWIMasits
imagingstandard.SmartDeployisalsouniquebecauseitprovidesbothaCOMapplication
programminginterface(API)thatencompassesmanyofthefeatures,functions,andcapabilities
containedintheC++WIMGAPI.dll.Itaddsnewmethods,suchastheabilitytocreate
differencing(ordelta)WIMimagesandagraphicaluserinterface(UI)togreatlysimplifythe
creation,modification,distribution,anddeploymentofWIMbasedimages.
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YoucansaveweeksorevenmonthsofeffortbyusingSmartDeploytoadoptWIMbased
imaginginsteadofusingthecomplextechnicalproceduresrequiredbytheWAIK,lettingyou
realizeareturnonyourlicenseinvestmentinamatterofdays.AndbecauseSmartDeploytakes
advantageoftheWIMformat,itintegratesseamlesslywithWDS.Prowesshasundertaken
additionalstepstoensurethatSmartDeploysupportsthemulticastcapabilitiesofWDS.
UsingSmartDeploywithWDSisagreatwaytomakethemostofthelatestdeployment
technologywhilereducingthepainandITburdenassociatedwithadoptinganewdeployment
technologyandupdatingyourdeploymentinfrastructuretobecompatiblewiththelatest
standards.

INTRODUCINGSMARTDEPLOY
SmartDeployEnterpriseisWindowsdeploymentsoftwarethathelpsreducethecost,time,
complexity,expertise,andlevelofITstaffeffortrequiredtoperformoperatingsystem
deployment.SmartDeployreducesthetotalcostofownership(TCO)ofserveranddesktop
computersthroughlowerdeploymentrelatedlicensingcost,lessIT
SmartDeployhelps
trainingandrampuptime,reducedITinfrastructureimpact,and
thelargestprivate
fastertaskexecution.

universityinthe
U.S.reduceimage
creationtimeby85
percentwhile
simultaneously
cuttingdeployment
licensingcostsby50
percent.

SmartDeploywasdesignedwiththeneedsofthepeoplewhoare
performingoperatingsystemdeploymentfirmlyinmind.SmartDeploy
usessimplewizardsandlogicalpackagesthatorganizeand
orchestratethedeploymentprocessforITgeneralistswhodonthave
thetimetolearnamorecomplicatedtoolset.Forthedeployment
specialist,SmartDeployincludesCOMAPIs,lettingdeploymentsavvy
ITprofessionalsprogrammaticallyextendthefunctionalityof
SmartDeploy,integrateitintomanagementsolutions,andthoroughlyautomatedeployment
processesforlowtouchandremoteorunattendeddeploymentscenarios.

SmartDeployhasbestpracticesbuiltintoconsolidatedimagecaptureanddeployment
environments,makingitsimpletounderstandandeasytouserightfromthefirstdeployment.
Theimagingformatconsolidatesmultipleimagesintoasinglefilethatusesfilebasedde
duplicationtoreducestoragesize.Imagesizereductionattributedtosingleinstancestorageof
filesisoftenasmuchas80percentorevenhigher,endingtherunawaystorageproblemsand
confusingimagemanagementofotherdeploymentsolutions.
SmartDeployincludesanintelligenthardware/platformindependencesolutioncalledthe
PlatformManagerthathelpsdramaticallyreducedeploymentrelatedIToverhead.Abuiltin
componentoftheSmartDeployEnterprisesuite,thePlatformManagerlogicallyandphysically
separatesandorganizesdevicedriversandotherplatformrelatedexecutablefilesthrough
platformpacks.


UsingplatformpacksinconjunctionwithSmartDeployimagesletsyouaddressadiverse
hardwareinventoryconsistingofmultiplegenerationsofhardwareandvirtualizationplatforms
fromdifferentmanufacturersallwithasingle

softwaresystemimagethatdeliverstheproper
SmartDeploywasbuiltformaximum
devicedriversonlyatdeploymenttime.Withthe
efficiencyineveryaspectofdeployment:
PlatformManagerandplatformpacks,younever
Controlcostthroughapertechnician
licensingmodel.
havetotouchasystemimagetoaddresshardware
Eliminatetheneedforextrahardware
orplatformrelatedrequirements;thisfurther
throughasimpleimagecreationprocess
reducesimagesprawlandstorageandnetwork
performedinaVMonthetechnicians
impactsduringdeploymentandsaveshoursof
workstation.
efforttocreatecompatibleimages.
Reduceimpactoninfrastructure(storageand
networkbandwidth)withimagescreatedina
simplewizardthatstoresdatainasingle,
consolidated,deduplicatedfile.
Useyourexistingmanagementinfrastructure
ordeploymentsolution;SmartDeploy
createdimagesintegrateseamlesslyand
supportmulticastinginWDS.
OffloadeffortfromITstaff;thesimplewizard
canbeusedbyaknowledgeworkeror
automatedthroughascript.
Reducetimeandexpenseofimageupdates
withsimpleimagemaintenanceinreadily
availableVMbasedreferenceenvironments
andefficientdifferencingimages.
SmartDeploycantransformdeployment
processesfromanarduous,errorprone,
dreadedundertakingtoasimple,elegant
projectperformedfaster,byfewerpeople,
withlesshardware.

SmartDeployiscompatiblewithallWindowsclient
andserveroperatingsystemsfromWindows2000
throughWindows7andWindowsServer2008R2.
Thesameconsolidatedenvironmentsandefficient
imageformatcanaccommodatemultiple
generationsofoperatingsystemsandhardware
throughoutyourorganizationwithoutspecialadd
ons,workarounds,orextralicensingcosts.
SmartDeployislicensedpertechnicianthepeople
whocreateandmanageimagesandplatformpacks,
notthedevicesbeingmanaged,needtobe
licensed.Onceproperlylicensed,theimagescanbe
rolledouttoanunlimitednumberofcomputers
automaticallyorinstalledquicklyandreliablyatthe
endpointbyunlicensed,nontechnicalknowledge
workersthroughadeploymentwizard.

Whetheryouneedtoimproveanexisting
deploymentsystem,youaretacklingnewWindows7deployments,oryouareaddressing
complexmigrationscenarios,SmartDeploycansaveyoutimeandfrustrationandreducethe
impactofdeploymentonyourITinfrastructure.

HOWDOESSMARTDEPLOYWORK?
Inthesimplestterms,SmartDeployfollowsabasicfivestepprocess,asshowninFigure1.

Figure1HowSmartDeployworks

1. InstallSmartDeployEnterprise.
2. Buildthemasterinstallation.
3. Captureanimage.
TheSmartDeployEnterpriseapproachusesasingleenvironmentforbuildinga
referencesystemavirtualmachine(VM)runningontheITworkerslocalworkstation.
YoucanthenaddaSmartDeployPlatformManagertoisolatehardwaredatafromthe
image.
4. Createoraddapreconfiguredplatformpack.
5. Deployanimage.
SmartDeployEnterpriseletsyoutodeploytophysicalandvirtualmachines.Italso
supportswizarddriven,zerotouchdeploymentviatheWindowsPreinstallation
Environment(WinPE).Duringdeployment,SmartDeployEnterpriseletsyouprepare
partitions,and,ifdesired,migratetheexistingcontentsofthephysicaltargetsystem
intoavirtualmachine,whichisautomaticallypresentonthedesktopofthenew
operatingsystemafterdeployment.
SmartDeployEnterprisealsoletsyouupdateexistingimages.SmartDeploymakesitpossibleto
easilyandquicklycreatedifferencingdeltafilesthatcontainonlythechangestoanexisting
image.Forexample,asingledeltafilemaycontainthelatestpatches,securityupdates,and
definitionfilesrelatingtoanexistingimage.Usingthisapproach,youcanregularlydistributethe
smalldeltafilestoyourendpointstokeepyourimagesuptodate.

ApplicableScenarios
SmartDeploy,usedwithWDS,canhelpyouaddressthefollowingdeploymentscenarios:

NewWindowsXPdeployments

NewWindows7deployments

NewdeploymentsofWindowsServer2003

NewdeploymentsofWindowsServer2003R2

WindowsServer2008andWindowsServer2008R2newdeployments

Windows7migration

WindowsServer2008migration

Virtualtophysical(V2P)migration(allsupportedoperatingsystems)

Physicaltovirtual(P2V)migration(limitedsupportforoperatingsystems)

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SUMMARY

ByusingSmartDeployEnterprise,organizationscannowdeploy
almostallversionsoftheWindowsoperatingsystemincluding
Windows7quicklyandeasilywithouthavingtomakeexpensive,
timeconsumingcompromises.Thereisnoneedtodelaymigration
orimplementaprotracted,phasedapproachtoaccommodate
legacyapplicationsandspecificuserscenarios.Thereisalsono
needtoacquirespecializedITskillsinimaginganddeployment.
Migrationcanbeachievedmorequicklyandeasilythanwith
previoustoolsandguidance.
TheSmartDeployimagingformatsignificantlyreducesstoragesize
throughimageconsolidationanddeduplication,reducing
infrastructureimpactofdeployment,andmakesmorefrequent
imageupdatespossiblethroughlightweightdistributionof
differencingdeltaimages.
HardwareindependenceisbuiltintoSmartDeploy.Theintelligent
PlatformManagerorganizesdriversintosimpleplatformpacks,
whichconsolidateanddeduplicatedriversandotherhardware
relatedfiles.Withdozensofplatformpacktemplatesformost
majormanufacturersprovidedthroughtheSmartDeploy.comWeb
siteandprofessionalassistancethroughproductsupport,accurate
deploymentofWindowsoperatingsystemshasbeenreducedtoa
simpledownload.

KeyfeaturesofSmartDeploy
Enterprise:
Retainslegacyapplications
seamlesslyinaVMthatrunsonthe
newdesktop.
Retainsusersettingsanddata
eitherinaprotectedfolderorina
VMthatcanberunfromthe
desktop.
Isolateshardwareplatformdata
fromthesystemimage.Imagesare
deployedtoeachtargetusing
platformpackstoinsertdriversin
WinPE.AdifferentWindowsVista
imageisnotrequiredforeach
hardwareplatform.
AftertheWindowsVistamaster
imageisdistributed,itcanbeeasily
updatedfarintothefuturewith
smalldeltaimagesreplicatedover
thenetwork.

SmartDeployhelpsdemystifycomplexdeploymentsolutionslikeWDS.SmartDeployaddresses
alloftheimagingtasksforWDSandprovidesasimplewizardforuserstoselfinstallWindows.
Withmulticastcapabilitybuiltin,SmartDeployintegratesseamlesslywithWDS,makingthepath
toaWindows7supportedsolutionfaster,easier,andlessexpensive.

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MOREINFORMATION

Thefollowinglinksprovidefurtherinformation:

SmartDeployEnterpriseUsersGuide

WindowsDeploymentServicesGettingStartedGuide

ProwessSmartDeployHomePage

DeployCentralForum

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